Last.



B.. O. SIMMONS..

` APPLIOATIUI HLBD IBP'L 8, 1908. V

` Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

2 BHBETVBHEET 1.

Y Wwf/WUR MMmlArn w.. Hummm, u. u

R. G. SIMMONS.

Lm. y LYPLIO'HOI PILS'D'SBPT. B. 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W7/VISSER v/A/l/f/V/W/a 75 MW( 3mm @4 .4W

OFFICE- `Mrirrrc.lfs1iifikoiisi,"r'fmivnnmr,"iaiassacnusn'rrs,'assmiion 'ro UNITED SHOE L MACHINERY oomamgor rI'A'riimsioir,New Jansma.; conronaTIoN or NEW 1.05:);98121: t vapplicationed To all 'whom it may concern.'

Beit known that I, RALPH a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the count of Essex and (Jominoiiwealth,ofgMassac usetts, have invented certain Improvements in Lasts, of which the. following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like` reference characterson'the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures. f

This invention relates to lasts.y

The life of a wooden last is frequently much abbreviated by in'ury' to its heel portion occurringfduringt e sole-leveling o eration or theheel attachingoperation.V n each ofthese o erations there is liability ofy the `woodoft elast adjacent to the conev beingfcruslied` by the great stress :whichit must resist.' It -is i frequently found jthat-a.

lastl after bein used but little' has become so battered att econethat itis unfit forhuse. The primary object of the; resent iriventioniis toprovide ailast whic shallpnoti'bev liable to such rapidv deteriorationasoccurs' with-lasts now muse. Y i f An important featurel of jthe l present," inf,

vention consists in a lastso 'constructedthat the berf ofwoodlatbtheheeb isl approxi-1 mately normal tothe surface which constituteslthe coneof the last. It is well-known that wood offers much compression4 ina direetiomalon the grain than in aplane'atright angles t creto,v In a last embodying this feature, apart orall1 ofthe ressurempplied to the coneof` the last in t edirection of the heightof the last` is transmitted-@through the heelffportion along the fiber. of the wood. The .heel por tion of thelasti is thus rendered capableofresisting great pressure orheav blows in the' direction o its heightfwit out ybeing crushed or materially bruised.` Y

InI the f preferredy embodin'ientl fof lithe. iii-u"i vention the heel portion ofthe last is formed al block of- -Awoodi sciare ofasingle' intl ran edt at its ereXtendsapprOXimately inft eydirection ofvthe heightofgfthe last. The forepartvl of the lastigv ia",l referably 4so formed. that its .fiber extends on 'tudinally thereof.l l The,iitreaaes to .which vt is. artiofl the llastnis?.aiibjectedin the manufac ure of bootsand 'ishoesli are resistedmore effectively when the fiberlextends longitudinally than C. SiismoNs,

eater resistance to I Specification of L etter's'latent. Patented Api'. 15, 191 3.

'september s. 1908. sensi No. 452,052.

would be the case if it extended in the direction .ofthe height of the last. Inpioducing a last embodying the present invention, the blocks which are to constitute the forepai't and the heel part of the last are secured together before the footshape contour of these parts is formed. The last block thus produced is turned to the de- 'sired foot-shape contour in a last turning lathe. This method of producing the last forming. the subject of this application is not claimed herein, but is covered by another -application filed ccntemporaneoiisly herewitli'.`

`An important feature of the invention 4consistsinthe provision of means for reinlforcing a heelpart of the nature referred to 5 against stresses which may have a tendency gto cause fracture of. such a heel part. For "example, oneof ,the embodiments of the invvention "herein shown is provided with .meansfor reinforcingthe heel pai-t against. shearing stressalong1 the fiber of. the wood. "This may convenient y be eti'ected by insertngfa reinforcing member in the heel part extendinglongitudinally therethrough. I

have also shown-.herein a last equipped with 'meansfor.reinforcing the heel part against Q lon itudin'alt tension. Such tension is partticu arlyliable to occur in the heel attaching operation wherein, it is frequently desired to 'applygreaterpressure at` the breast of the j. heel than at rear.

'," Otherfeatures of the invent-ion will be hereinafter-. described and defined in the `fclaims. i Y Y 1 In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a block last embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary yilan View of the last shown in Fig. l; Fig. is a .view in perspective of a block last constituting anot ier embodiment ofthe inren tipn'; Figuiis afragmentary plan view of the last shown in Fig. 3; Fi 5 is a view in side Televation, partly in section, of a block last constituting still another embodiment of the vir invention; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the last shown in Fig.,5;:Fig7 is a view in side elevation of n. hinged lastembodying the invention; Fig. fl8-is a .view inside elevation of a bleek Inst. @embodying further features of the invi-.nu ztion; '1i 9 is a transverse sectional view on the line l -9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a top plan lil) loo

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shown 1n these res' comprisesA a heel part 2 in which the fiber of the wood extends a .-'ff proximately inthe ,drectionof the heig t of the last-andafore rovidedwith af.

. YUM-'iii removable -instep bloc r (i.- T eorepart andV instep .block are Vformedfrom a smgle.,'1n'

wood inv thesev parts extends approximatelyin the direction'ofs'thelength of the'llast. rlhe heel part 2 is formed froma single,` integral block of wood and the orepart and heel part are connected by*V a mortiseand tenon joint',` their meeting surfaces being preferably glued.' 4The connection between these parts is made before the foot contour ot the last is :formed and before the block 6 is severed from the forepart. As will ap. pear from Fig. 2, the tenons upon the heel part are of greater width than those upon the forepart. This is of advantage in producing astronger joint than` would be 'se-4 cured if the tenons were' of 'the same 'width' ns will be apparent from aconsideration of the fact that thel grain *ofjthe'wood in the i heel part extends vertically.- It will4 also be seen fromFigrl tha'tthe line of junction-of forepart andheel part' is linclined fromjthe cone of the last Ltoward the toe. This' is also of advanta e in producin a stronger joint" than would e'the case if t eline of Junction extended vertically?l i The last/shown in -Figs."f1-and`2 -is providedwith the'usual'heel 'plate-f8 andalsoj with a tubular bushing 10 inserted in "a ver-1 tical'boreinr the 'heel part to i spindle socket(A The upIper end o ing 10 lies vslightly'be o stitutin from Fig. 1'.' This insures that plied to the cone of the last wil not tend to force the bushing towardV the bottom ofgthe thsbash-i last and thus tend to split the heel part. a hinged last. -In making this last the foot- -shape "contour is turned after the sections In' the las't shown 1n Figs. 3 and '4 the meeting surfaccs'of forepart and heel part are plane. These surfaces are lued to-` gether and are also held in fixed re ationvby a screw 12passng through the fore art into the heel part, and onev or m'oredowe ins 14,' which may convenientlybey of wood. The. screw 12 and dowel pins- 14 are'insertedlixi the last after the block 6 haabeenI severed preferably so' 'cut awa that'the' upperfa'oc of the tog" plate isfius .with the u pensariaceof c lastXf-Theftop'plate T1 is pro'.-` vided at suchend with av'depending 'tiange 2O inserted in grooves formed in tie: last.

thejblo'ck last'`I .wood of `the;

against tension llast. {The'g'roovesin which are received the peet it takesl the ilace of the screw t w the surface 'conthe cone of the last, as will'appearf 'ressure sp1- vmenti-i of the invention. 'tion of the' foot-shape contour, the last is divided 'at the shank in the manner-customary in maltinghinged lasts, and the heel section .and fore art section are formed to receive lthe mein ers ofthe hinge B6. I have shown from the last. The last shown in thesev figurcs'is provided with altubular bushing 16` TheiiaugesQOfare preferably curved longi- 1-;.tudinally as is shown in Fig. 4.

curvaturegisof advantage in reirtorcing the last'about the spindle socket produced laterally of the fiang'es 2O are made of such depth that there -will b'e-no.-=lability of the flanges having Vcontactfwth ,they bottom `of the grooves; This'ins'ures' that pressure applied to the top tegral block of wood, and the fiber ofthe'4 'p i late will not sp t the last in the vicinity of the flanges. The bushing 16 may be secured inthelast if desired by a pin 22 passing transversely through the heel part of the last'v and the bushing.

In the last shown in Figs. 5 and G there is provided/a tubular bushing 24 provided upon opposite sides intermediate its ends with bosses 2G. The bosses 26 are tapped Ato receive screws 28 and 30. The screw 2S is inserted from-the rear of the last, and the screw 80 passcsthroufrh the foi-apart and forward portion of therheel part. It will be observedthat the screw 30 is so arranged 'that it has the function of holding the t'orepart und heel' part together and in this res l2 of e last shown in igs. 3 and 4. The space betweenthe upper portion of the bushing 24 yand-thewallof the bore in which it is received is filled b an annular filling piece 32 ofwood; andft e head of the screw 28 is covered b -a wooden block 34. The wooden block 84 insures that the head of the screw "28 will not prevent tacks from being driven vinthe-rear end of the last at any point desired. -The upper end ofthe tubular bushing 24 preferably liesbelow the cone of the rovideja last.' v`:[t'jwillbe seenl thatby means of the ,ybushing'24 andthe screws 28 and 30 the fheelpart vof the. last 'may be reinforced ,against tension producedtherein longitudinal of the last.

l"In-' Fig? is illustrated one way of enibodying features of the. present invention in have been unitedy asin the manner indicated in'connection with the preceding embodi- After the formains'B extending vertically through the inge members' in order to secure them firmly inthe' last sections. The to `.plate'18 rests upon-*the t is part f,v the,4 last ,bein'gV YIn theg'llast shown in'Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the heel section is'f'prlovided with a vertical tenon 40 and the A:tore art section with a groove to fit-the tenen. '1 c heel nrt is provided with J a rconi'binledfspindle soc cet Ianc 4 top plate 42 ofthe `general'tiormillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. A pin 44 passes transversely through the heel section and the spindle socket 42. As will a pear from Fig. 9, the apertures in the spin e socket are of such a height as to permit the spindle lsocket to b e forced downwardly a short dist-ance without coming into engafrement with the in `44. This feature mayhbe found desirab e in order to prevent fracture of the heel section by downward pressure exerted upon the pin 44. The last shown in these figures is also provided with a lon itudinal wooden in 46. The pin 46 is einbe ded in the last a jacent to the sole and extends from the extreme rear of the heel section through the surface of union of the two sections of the last. into the forepart section. To receive this pin a hole is bored into the last from its rear end after the footshape contour is formed. The pin is then covered with glue and driven into place. It will be seen that this pin not only serves to reinforce the heel section against shearl ing stress alon the fiber of the wood, but

also holds firm y together the forepart section and heel sectio l It will be observed that in the last shown in Figs. 8, 9 and.10 the surface of union of forepart and heel part upper end of the inste lock. The groove an tenon connect-ion etween theV parts is, as will be obvious, of advantage in lnsurin a firm connection between the two parts o the instep block.

It wil portion of the heel part'in the severai emodiments of the-invention illustratedis at its middle portion where the necessity of providing a vertical bore to receive the spindle socket occasions some weakness.

late shown in Fi 3'and 4 and 8,9 and 10' 1s of particular a vanta e in reinforcing theA wood in the vicinity o the spindle socket., inasmuch as it resists tension exerted lon tudinall of the heel part adjacent to t e cone an on account o the curved form of its flanges also holds the wood together in a direction transverse to the heel part. It will also be seen that with the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the heel part is reinforced against longitudinal tension.

The pin 46 inserted longitudinally in the heel part is particularly desirable in the heel attaching operation. In this o eration the last is frequently so su porte that it rests at the extreme rear o the cone upon the last supporting surface. Under these circumstances pressure ap lied to the sole of the last is more or less liable to shear the wood of the heel part along the fiber. The pin 46 effectually prevents this occurrence.

It will be understood that the several'lasts herein shown and described are illustrative of different. ways in which the invention may be embodied.

passes through the be understood that the weakest' The top As will be obvious modifications in ,thc lasts shown may be made without departing from the resent invention, the scope of which wil be defined in the appended claims.

Havin fully described my invention,

what I c aim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A last constructed substantially throughout of wood and having the liber of the wood throughout the heel portion extending a proximately in the direction of the height o? the last and the fiber throughout the remaining portion extending longitudinally of the last.

2. A last constructed substantially throughout of wood and having the liber of the wood throughout its heel portion extending approximately in the direction of the height. of the last and having means for reinforcing the heel part against shearing stress along said fiber.

3. A last constructed substantially throughout. of woody and having the fiber of the wood throughout its heel portion extending approximately in the direction of the height .of the last and having means for reinforcing the heel part against tension across the liber.

4. A last having its heel portion formed with-the fiber of the wood extending approximately in the direction of its height and havingv a member embedded longitudinall in said heel portion adjacent the sole of t elast vfor reinforcing the heel portion against shearing stress along the fiber of the wood.

5. -A wooden last comprising a forepart. section and'a heel section united at the shank portion, the heel section being arrangedfwith the fiber of the wood extending approximately in the direction of the height of the lastv and a reinforcing member embedded longitudinally in the last and extendingl from the extreme rear of the last throu the surface of union of the sections into t e forepart section.

6. A last comprising a plurality of longitudinally successive wooden sections, the fiber of the Wood throughout. the heel scction extending approximately in the direction of the height of the last and the fiber throughout the forepart section extending longitudinally of the last, said sections havmg abutting surfaces extending from side to side of the last and being permanently and rigidly secured together.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH C. SIMMONS.

Witnesses:

BERNARD BAnaows, ALLAN BAnnows.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for nv'e cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

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